Circle of Life: Who To Tell
by JD11
Summary: As the Enterprise is given a break, Geordie, Riker, and Deanna must deal with the consequences of what had happened. THIRD PART OF 'CIRCLE OF LIFE'
1. Uncertainties

After three days of traveling, _Enterprise _finally made it to the Nitogaro System, where Ambassadors Lwaxana Troi and T'Pic were to be dropped off on a planet known as Miko. An old yet still developing race that had recently reached Warp Seven was requesting permission to join the Federation.

Their species, the Mikolians, was a suspicious race though it had many kind and intellectual people. Starfleet, however, was reluctant to allow them to join due to their reputation as a violent and conquering race. But, as always, it was hardly their decision to make.

But, luckily, it wasn't going to be Captain Jean-Luc Picard's problem. _Enterprise _was merely assigned to drop the Ambassadors off and head to Earth where Ambassador Smith would be returned and the crew could enjoy some much-needed shore leave.

In Transporter Room Two, Lwaxana and T'Pic were preparing to beam down to a Starfleet entourage that was waiting for them. Picard, Commander Riker, and Counselor Troi stood, saying their good-byes.

"And don't you forget what I asked you, William," Lwaxana said, nodding toward Deanna with a smile.

"Don't forget my answer. Good-bye, Mrs. Troi," Riker answered with a slight grin, recalling the words exchanged between the two a week ago in Ten Forward.

"Good-bye, Mother."

"Good-bye, Deanna, Jean-Luc," Lwaxana said just before stepping onto the pad, dissolving before them.

"What question was she talking about?" Deanna asked Will as they walked from the room.

"Huh? Oh, that? Nothing, just… nothing." Riker shrugged as he escorted her through the halls, linking his arm through hers as they walked.

Deanna sighed. She was starting to worry about him. After he, Worf, and Ken had been brought back, he refused to say much. Mostly he claimed not to remember or barely recalled something the other two would mention.

Worf and Ken were both doing fine after some rest. Ken, of course, tried to use his exaggerated condition to get women and attention. But Will… Will wasn't the same. He was always sitting alone, thinking about something. Deanna had even caught him talking to himself once or twice. And though she had constantly tried to talk to him, he wasn't willing to talk back. He didn't want to talk to her as a counselor or a friend or a lover.

Both Worf and Ken said that he had been taken away twice and once for a long period of time. Deanna couldn't help but wonder what happened to him during then that would have taken the innocent sparkle out of his blue eyes.

Of course, there were plenty of times that he would act completely normal. This was only in public, though. Alone or with her, he was definably not. And through it all, Deanna could sense the true aching in his heart; the pain he was feeling.

_**Bridge**_

Silently Data sat at the science console, his eyes shifted back and forth as he read the screen in front of him. His face was as monotone as ever, as he ignored the fussing around him.

A brow furrowed slightly as he noticed something wrong. Digging farther into the problem, the android quickly finding someone trying to access the main database. His fingers flow over the console with lightening speed, able to lock out the intruder.

His brow creased once again, seeing that the data the person had managed to access was their files on Hytor Settlement and Ketrel. All of which included information about the Fruma, Cadda, and Nilaains and their origins.

"Interesting," Data muttered before he tapped his comm. badge "Data to Picard."

"_Picard here. What is it, Data?"_

"Captain, someone just attempted to access the computer memory core," reported Data.

"_Do you know what they where looking for? Or how much they got a hold of?"_

"Affirmative. It appears they managed to access nearly all of the information we have on Hytor Settlement and Ketrel."

"_Can you isolate who it was?"_

"Negative."

"_Alright, brief the Captain of the _Lexington_. Maybe they'll have time to look into it."_

"Aye, Captain." Data tapped his comm. badge again and proceeded to do as told.

_**Engineering**_

The pain behind Geordie's eyes had grown steadily worse for the past few hours. The normal soft beeps and quiet shuffle of feet were made even louder by the pounding of his temples. His concentration was falling him quickly; none of his work had gotten done.

Geordie raised his hands and removed the VISOR attached to his face. Using his left hand to hold the silver metal, his right remaining free to massage his eyes and temples. But his attempt at relieving his headache failed. There was no use trying to halt the pain growing.

It had been nearly three months since the last time he had headaches like these and that was from something neither he nor Dr. Crusher could identify. And though he had later blamed them on stress and exhaustion, he could no longer deny that that was the cause.

As Geordie's fingers rubbed the side of his temple, the tips ran over a small bump. He recalled feeling it some time early, but thought about it. And yet, after months of living with those headaches, he couldn't help but get a strange feeling that it wasn't related somehow.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Quickly he replaced the device he held in his hands, turning to look behind him. To his relief, he saw that it was the next shift. He sighed and slowly got to his feet and left.

_**Observation Lounge**_

Deanna glanced around the Lounge as she walked through the threshold. Her eyes paused when she saw the back corner. Will was sitting there, starring out at the warped stars. She sighed. It seemed there were only three places he was any more: work, the observation lounge looking out the window or in their quarters… looking out the window.

He was isolating himself from everyone, even her. And it was beginning to scare her.

She walked up to him, slowly so she did not startle him. And yet he knew she was there, for he had heard the doors and her walking, even her sigh. He merely chose not to acknowledge this to her.

Deanna walked behind him, placing her chin on his shoulder and her cheek against his. She slid her hands around his waist, allowing her larger than normal stomach to press against his back. She could see their reflection in the window; he was still starring at the passing stars. Only his warm hands placed on top of hers let her know that he was conscious.

"It's late. You should get some sleep," Deanna whispered into his ear.

He finally looked at her, then. "Do you ever wonder why things happen the way they do? Why we meet people when and where we do? Or why some people learn things or understand things faster than others?"

Deanna was taken aback by his questions, her brow furrowing at their oddity. "Is that what this is all about?"

He just looked back out the window and said, "You're right, we should get to bed." He released her hands and turned to face her.

She just nodded, deciding to drop the subject. Riker put his hand on her back and lead her to the door.

_**Geordie's Quarters**_

_A face. It was the face of a man. An odd face. Gray. No… maybe blue. Bluish gray. It seemed to float in air. No body to support it. Nothing…_

_Then he began to speak. His voice was high pitched. Like a child's voice. It was filled with laughter and a strange giddiness that did not seem to belong to him. But it also had great sincerity and sadness…_

Geordie awoke with a start, groaning as he rubbed his eyes. He had hoped that some rest would help his throbbing head, but it unfortunately only made it worse.

He scratched the back of his neck as he sat up, trying desperately to recall his dream. It had seemed so real, as if he could just reach out and touch him, but also so fake that he knew, in a way, that the person talking was too far away for him to reach.

Everything began to fade. And the more he thought and struggled to remember the words, the more he forgot them. And the longer he dwelled on what the man had looked like, the faster the imaged faded.

Soon, all was lost to oblivion, leaving Geordie with a strange feeling. One where you know that there was some information you want, something you thought important to know, but you just can't recall it. It was unnerving to say the least. If only he could remember what it was. What the man had said.

But then, that was silly. It was merely a dream. One to be forgotten about… right? Or was there something more? But he shook it off, realizing the absurdity of his thoughts.

Rubbing his face, he sighed and rolled out of bed.

_**Sickbay, Two Days Later**_

"Beverly, I'm worried about him. All he does is stare out the window. He's constantly isolating himself, and he won't tell me what's wrong… he just asks strange questions."

Deanna shifted in the biobed to see Beverly, the doctor running her tricorder over friend as she listened.

"He's gone through a lot in the past few months. In his life, actually. Maybe… maybe everything just became too much and he… shutdown. Give him some time and space, who knows?" Beverly said with a shrug. "This shore-leave should be good for him anyway. Where are you two going?"

"Alaska, up to his dad's cabin."

"That'll be good for. Get off the ship and go somewhere that he likes."

"Yeah."

"Well, it looks like you still have a very health little girl. Only about two months to go," Beverly reported with a smile, setting down the device. Deanna smiled back and stood up. "See you later."

"'Bye." Deanna walked away, Beverly watched her retreating form. She felt for her friend, she really did, but she couldn't do anything for her. Not any more than to be the good friend she always would be for Deanna.


	2. Orders

_**Captain's Ready Room, The Next Day **_

"Captain?"

"Come in, Data," Picard called from behind his desk.

Data took a few steps in. "Captain, I have been going over the data that the hacker-"

Picard looked up at his third in command. "Data, I thought I told you to leave that to the _Lexington_ and not pursue it!?"

Data was taken aback by the Captain's outburst. That was the first time Captain Picard had ever yelled at him, and actually meant it. "On the contrary, Captain. You merely told me to brief the Captain of the _Lexington._ You mentioned nothing of my own investigation."

Picard sighed; Data was right as usual. "I'm sorry. What did you find?"

"I found that the data was 'set up' to be accessed easily with the right codes. In essence, someone engineered the data so that the hacker could access and downloaded the data without ever having to search for it. But, it seems, that for this to occur, someone must have given those codes to who ever accessed our computers. Meaning we may have a spy aboard the ship," Data concluded, looking to Picard for approval.

"That's a little extreme, Data," he warned. And yet he stopped, nervously scratching his neck. "Data, I… I have to tell you something. It may not be something that you want to hear nor agree with, I don't, but I have orders… and I'll need your help."

_**Riker and Deanna's Quarters**_

Riker walked slowly into his new quarters, tired from the long day he had had. For a moment, he just looked around, trying again to get his bearings.

His new quarters he shared with Deanna were much larger than his old one and more suitable to raise a child in. The bedroom alone was significantly bigger and connected to the living/dining room. A second room was on the other side, for their daughter when she got bigger.

He turned to his left, walking into the bedroom. There was a queen-sized bed, for both Riker and Deanna to fit comfortably on. There was also a nightstand, dresser, a closet, and all the usual. But there was also an old-fashion, Earth cradle that he had insisted on getting only a week prior.

He walked over to the dresser to where a small, wooden box sat. It wasn't very large, but important enough to him. On the top was a carved picture of a grizzly bear and underneath it was BR carved in. They stood for Betty Riker, his mother.

Slowly, Riker lifted the lid and took out a small, velvet blue box. Bringing it to eye level, he starred at it for a long moment. And, just as he went to open it, he heard the doors open and quickly he put it back in his mother's box.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" Deanna asked as she walked into the room.

"No." He put on a weak smile, but the unsettled look in his eyes betrayed his lie.

She smiled back and walked over to him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. Stop worrying about me."

"Pay back," Deanna stated and made him smile; a real smile. Something she had not seen on him for some time.

_**Bridge, Two Days Later**_

Data sat rigidly at the science terminal, appearing quite engrossed in whatever it was that he was doing. His fingers were flying over the buttons. And at the same time his eyes scanned the data, his positronic brain able to process it with ease.

Captain Picard stood up from his chair, walking slowly over to him. He placed his hand on the chair while he looked at the words flying over the screen with tremendous speed.

"How's your… research coming, Data?" asked Picard.

Data stopped for a moment and looked at his Captain, "Slowly, Captain. It will take me more time than anticipated to complete."

Picard nodded, disappointment written over his face. "At least have it done before we leave Earth."

"Aye, sir." With that, Data turned back to the screen and began to process the information at an inhuman speed. Picard just shook his head and walked away.

_**Riker and Deanna's Quarters**_

Riker sat on the long ledge of the window in his living room. Not surprisingly, though, he was thinking…

_He was walking, or rather limping, down a long corridor. The entire place was dark and he could barely see. _

_He was strapped down to a straight table about to have the chip removed. His head was strapped down to the table. He couldn't move. Couldn't see though he could hear the doctors as they prepared for the surgery. _

He had thought long and hard about everything that had happened. He did not fear Curz or Imrah nor was he traumatized but what happened to him. But he felt almost as if he was trapped in his memories of it. It was like he was forgetting something important. Something he knew was still locked up in his mind.

Riker respected Imrah and Curz's positions, just as he somewhat respected what they were trying to do. He also understood that the promise he had made to them to keep their 'cause' and their identities a secret would have to be honored.

But it's not like he would lose any sleep over the decision. So why was he? Maybe it was the way he was going about it? The fact that he had to outright lie to his commanding officer and Captain, his friends…his Imzadi.

Riker ran a hand through his unkempt hair and found his fingers wandering back to the temple in which the EGM had implanted their chip. The chip that caused all this. He could feel the slight scar that had formed over it.

There had been rare moments when Riker had thought to the extreme of returning and killing them all for making his life such a living hell. But then he remembered, without them, he probably would still be dancing around his relationship with Deanna. He wouldn't be expecting a daughter in a matter of months. And, in a way, he guessed that he owed them.

But that didn't make everything else he had been put through fair…

_**Geordie's Quarters, The Next Mourning**_

Sleep was not something that came easy to Geordie any more. It used to be from the throbbing headaches. But now it was a combination of the old headaches and the strange dream he had been having every night. And, even though he couldn't remember it, it left him feeling unsettled when he woke.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the nameless face that continued to fill his dreams. And, when he woke, he could barely remember what he looked like at all. Nor what he was saying to Geordie, and, for some reason, he thought…no felt, that it was something important.

But as hard as he tried, nothing came of it.

He sighed, rubbing his face as he laid there, waiting for sleep to finally take him.****

_**Captain's Ready Room, The Next Day**_

"Captain, here is the report you wanted covering the past week," Data informed Picard as he handed over a PADD.

Picard looked down at it and said, "Riots?"

"A small riot started yesterday but has not been followed by any others as of yet. Captain, if I may speak freely?"

"Of course."

"Their behavior is irrational and does not seem plausible in this situation," Data told the Captain, his tone without emotion and yet with a childish naiveté about it.

Picard looked out at the stars, thinking and collecting his thoughts a moment. "It does if Starfleet's theory is correct." He looked back at his subordinate. "Data, we have to consider the possibility that they know… or, at least, some do and have relayed it to who ever will listen."

"And why would they still care?"

"Sometimes, Data… hate, anger, and fear are not something that anyone can easily forget or ignore."

Data considered this for a moment. "Hmm, interesting."

"Is that all, Commander?" With Data's nod, he dismissed the android.

_**Bridge**_

"Standard orbit, Commander," Picard ordered as they approached Earth.

"Aye, sir."

"Well, Commander. I would assume you and Deanna are taking time off," Picard said, leaning toward Riker.

"Yes, sir. We're going to stay at my father's cabin in Alaska."

"Sounds like fun. You're dismissed then." Riker nodded and stood up, walking away towards the turbolift.


	3. Vacation

_**Transporter Room Three**_

Data stood behind the console as Riker and Deanna walked into the room, hand-in-hand. Deanna smiled at her good friend and asked, "Data, why are you in here?"

"The chief has asked me to 'cover for him'," Data explained. Riker smiled and shock his head. 'Typical Data,' he thought.

Then Data looked at Deanna curiously as she allowed Riker to put the bags on the pad. "Counselor?"

"Yes?" She asked, turning to face him.

"Have you been gaining weight?" Data asked, his voice innocent and monotone. Deanna laughed, shaking her head. He was a curious thing, Data. So much like a young child, innocent and naïve while guilty and quite mature.

"Well, at least someone noticed. And yes, Data, I am gaining weight." Data looked even more confused than he was before and Deanna couldn't help smiling at him. "Data, I'm pregnant." Data's head snapped up at her. Then his attention turned to Riker, who was now sitting on the steps, enjoying the exchange. "Yes, it's Will's."

"Congratulations," Data wished them.

"Thank-you." Deanna gave him a nodded of the head and walked over to Riker. He stood and helped her up the steps.

"Energizing," Data announced as he slid his figures over the console, his voice now completely void of the new news he had heard.

_**Valdez, Alaska, Earth**_

"Will, it's beautiful."

Riker looked up at Deanna, who was standing outside. They had beamed down near his father's cabin, which was set on the side of a mountain.

His father's cabin was still a place he enjoyed coming to when he was on Earth. He loved the smell of the pine trees surrounding the area and the feel of climbing the large mountains when covered in snow.

Riker stopped his unpacking and walked over to where she was. And, for the first time in a long time, he wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. The atmosphere almost seemed to calm his reeling mind, allowing him to relax.

She pressed her check to his and absorbed the feel of him again. She smiled and hoped that his new him would last long enough for her to help him… or at least him help himself.

_**Engineering, Next Day **_

"Geordie, why did you not take the time off from your work? You should go down on Earth," Data urged his friend.

"I can't! I have too much work to do, alright?" Geordie hissed, his tone harsher than he meant. Data's brow rose. Lately his friend had been acting noticeably irritated, his actions much like that of months ago.

"Very well."

"So… hear anything interesting?" Geordie asked casually as he walked over to the console. He punched in a few numbers before looking up at Data.

"Actually, yes. Did you know that Counselor Troi is pregnant?"

"Pregnant?! Riker's?" Geordie said, half in shock, half laughing.

"That is correct. It is indeed interesting."

"You're telling me," Geordie said with a smile before going back to work.

_**Alaska**_

Riker sat upon a large rock on the side of the mountain. He had woken up hours before just to see the sun rise. It had always been his favorite time of the day; he loved seeing the sunrise over the mountaintops and to watch the entire area covered in reds and purples and pinks.

He glanced over his shoulder as he heard the snow crunch. A hand was placed on his shoulder as the owner sat down beside him. Deanna put her head on his other shoulder and joked, "I see you found something else to stare at."

He looked at her, and for the second time in two days, gave a genuine smile and asked, "I haven't been staring that much, have I?"

"Yes, you have."

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright, I know you have a lot on your mind. You can't help but to find someway to think privately. It's a normal reaction to great stress," Deanna told him.

He looked her in the eye and joked, "Always the counselor."

"I can't help it. It's an old habit."

Riker chuckled at that and looked back to the horizon. He could see the top of the sun begin to peck through the thick mountainous area. "Look over there," Riker said, pointing to the sun.

Deanna smiled and confessed, "You know, I've never seen the sunrise on Earth."

"Then watch," Riker advised. And she did so. For a while, the couple sat there and watched the sunrise.

_**Sickbay**_

"Hello, Commander. Can I help you?" A nurse said as she walked up to Geordie. The facility was almost completely empty except for three nurses.

"Ah, yeah. I just need something for my headache. It's nothing, really," he told her, sighing quietly when he didn't see Dr. Crusher.

"I'll just need to take a quick scan."

"Really, it's not that big of a deal, just an annoyance."

"It's standard procedure, sir."

"Alright." Geordie sat down on the biobed and allowed her to run the tricorder over his head, looking for the problem. She walked away and returned with a hypospray.

"You appear to be all right. But, here you go." She pressed it to the side of his neck, the object making a small hiss as it administered the medication.

Geordie stood, quickly giving his thanks before walking out of the room.

_**Alaska, The Next Day **_

Riker had told Deanna to follow him through the maze of pine trees and mountains, but he hadn't yet told her where they were going. She had decided that they must be going fishing, considering that he had brought two fishing poles and bait with him.

At first, the idea of hiking through trees was not Deanna idea of fun, but once inside, it was beautiful. All around her see could smell pine. It was a wonderful sensation that her nose had only smelt twice before.

And the view was spectacular. With the blend of the trees' pines and their height, the sun was barely visible and came through the trees only in shades of greens and browns. Also she could see the mountains in the distance, showing through the gaps in the tress and overhead.

When Riker stopped Deanna, they were at a running stream. It was almost twenty feet across and obviously quite deep. The water was crystal blue and completely clean. When she looked in it, she could see fish swimming through the water.

"I used to come here with my dad all the time when I was little. He even taught me to fish when I was five," Riker told Deanna as he handed her a pole.

"I've never gone fishing."

"Really? It's fun. You don't know what you've been missing."

"I guess I'm about to find out?"

"Yes," Riker said, nodded his head with a smile. "You might not catch anything but it's still fun."

"Really? Wanna make a bet on that?"

"Why not?"

"If I catch just one fish, you have to do something for me," Deanna explained.

"And if you don't?"

"Then I'll do something for you." Riker's smile grew and the look in his eyes made Deanna laugh. "Alright, so how do you work this thing?"

_**Sickbay**_

Geordie's headache had eluded him for the day; the pain meds were really helping. But as he knew would happen, the headache was starting to come back. It hurt like hell; he couldn't work with that.

What he needed was to find whatever was wrong with him and fix it. But that wouldn't happen until Dr. Crusher got back. And that would be too long for his tastes. And so that meant another trip to Sickbay.

As Geordie headed there, he thought that maybe Data was right. Maybe all the stress he was under was getting to him. Perhaps it was time he took some shoreleave. But he had already promised the Captain that he would stay and take care of Engineering.

The doors to Sickbay opened with a quiet swoosh and he stepped through and looked around. No one seemed to be there. Stepping farther inside, his eye glancing around, he couldn't see nor hear anyone. And he made no attempt to call out to any of them.

There was not a soul in that section of Sickbay. Geordie sighed and thought for a moment. He knew what someone would find if they scanned him: nothing. They hadn't so far but something was giving him these headaches. He knew he was not imagining the pain he was in at the moment and he knew that he needed something.

Walking over to the counter, he knew that they stored extra cylinders of medication. Quickly he removed the correct hypo. Pushing up his sleeve, he injected himself on the wrist. Then, just as quickly, he put it back into the drawer.

Rubbing his wrist, he turned around, startled when he saw someone walk into the room. It was a Lieutenant that he had seen in here on occasion. "Can I help you?"

"Ah, no. It's nothing that can't wait. I have to go."


	4. Propositions

_**Alaska**_

"Dinner is served," Riker announced, placing Deanna's plate in front of her. After losing his bet with her, she made him cook her dinner, and what she wanted was something native to Alaska.

But what she got was not what she expected…

"You didn't," she exclaimed as she saw the food in front of her.

"You did say 'native to Alaska'," Riker teased her.

She laughed as she looked down at it. It was the same fish that she had managed to catch. "True."

"Just try it, you'll like it, I promise."

"Alright." Deanna took her fork and knife and cut off a small piece. With a last look at Riker, she brought it to her mouth and chewed. She had to admit that it tasted much better than it looked.

"Good?"

"Very."

"Told you so," Riker teased as he began eating his own fish.

_**Alaska, The Next Mourning**_

"Elizabeth," Riker stated suddenly while the couple lay on their bed, Deanna's head at his feet. She looked up at him, her expression confused. "What do think about the name Elizabeth? It's a nice name."

"I like it. Elizabeth Riker, it has a nice ring to it," Deanna agreed.

"How about, Elizabeth Troi Riker," Riker said with a smile. Deanna looked at him for a moment before he explained. "Sometimes on Earth, the mother's maiden name becomes her child's middle name."

"'The mother's maiden name'? Meaning that I would no longer have my last name as Troi."

"That's the general idea…" Riker said, a grin covering his face. "When you get married."

"Are you proposing?" Deanna said, her face now matching Riker's.

"I could be." Riker leaned back and took something out of the nightstand drawer. Deanna watched him closely; she had not even known that he had put anything in there. Then he turned back towards her, swinging his legs over the bed and sat up.

Then he opened the small velvet box to reveal a gold band and gorgeous red ruby. He gently picked up the ring and held it out towards her. Looking straight into her eyes, Riker asked, "Will you marry me?"

Deanna smiled and said, "Of course." She leaned forward and kissed him before he took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. Deanna looked down at it and commented, "It's beautiful."

"It was my mother's. I got it from her when she died. And my dad told me to give it to the person I loved more than life itself… and I just did," Riker told her. He had been looking down at the ring throughout his speech, looking up at her for his last words. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Deanna leaned forward again and meet Will half way.

_**Sickbay**_

Geordie walked into Sickbay, looking cautiously around for Crusher or anyone else. Thankfully for him, most everyone was on Earth and only a skeleton crew was left to keep their eyes on the place.

He strolled over to the counter standing as high as his hip. Leaning against it as he pretended to be waiting for someone, he looked around again. The only person in the room at the time was an Ensign and she had her back to him.

With extreme care and senses at full alert, he gently eased opened the drawer and lifted the hypospray with the tips of his fingers. Once he cleared the edge, Geordie curled his fingers and allowed the hypo to rest against the palm of his hand- successfully hiding it from sight. Then he carefully picked up another small container, filled with a second batch of the liquid he wanted.

Looking over at the slight movement within the room, he backed up against the drawer- shutting it and knocking over a couple instruments. "Oh shit…" Feigning shook, he turned and, using his left hand, he busily worked at picking them up.

"Do you need something, Commander?" The same nurse as before asked him. She had turned to look at him when she heard the instruments fall over.

"I heard that Dr. Crusher was supposed to be back soon… I need to talk to her but… it seems I was wrong about the time," Geordie stuttered at making up his excuse. "I should just go." He gestured to the door with his left hand and walked away, the hypospray and extra container still protectively hidden.

_**Geordie's Quarters**_

Geordie was still having some trouble sleeping. He continued to have the disturbing dreams that seemed to make no sense and that he could barely remember. But now with the headaches gone, he was able to get at least some sleep.

But now he was sitting up in bed, looking at the hypo he had stolen from Sickbay earlier that day. He felt bad but he couldn't help it. The headaches had been driving him mad and he couldn't operate much longer with it.

He could feel the pain slowly inching back behind his eyes, the effect of the last injection twelve hours earlier wearing off. He slowly picked up the hypo and programmed it to give a dose to last another twelve hours.

After a pause, he brought it to his exposed wrist. Uncertainly, he pushed the button and released the medicine into his veins. He then placed the hypo back on his nightstand and sank back on his bed, hoping to get sleep.

_**Engineering, The Next Day**_

It had been almost twelve hours and the pain meds were wearing off. At the beginning of his shift, three hour prior, the few people left in engineering were hopeful that he was feeling better or was at least out of his cranky stage.

At least that was true. He was too tired now to be cranky. It appeared, to the crew, that he had not slept well that night for he was nodding off once in a while. He was slowing down and losing the overwhelming giddiness he walked in with.

Geordie hid in the corner, pretending to work on something. With care, he removed the hypo that was hidden in his shirt and pressed the tip to his wrist. Only the tiniest hiss was heard, but he heard it as much louder than it was. Carefully he placed it back into its concealment.

A shy, young Ensign walked next to him, quietly announcing, "I have the progress report, Commander." Geordie jumped at her voice and she too jumped. "I'm sorry, Commander. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's ok, Ensign. Thanks." Geordie's voice was much friendlier and kinder than it had been in the past few months. The Ensign was surprised. She thought for sure he would jump on her, but she was of course glad that he didn't.

The Ensign walked away, looking nervously back at her CO. Everyone was worried about him and now she was even more so with his sudden change in attitude. He was beginning to scare her.

_**Captain's Ready Room, Two Days Later **_

The last member of his crew had beamed aboard an hour ago. Everyone was back on board. Which had given Picard the chance to be in his Ready Room.

So, Captain Picard sat in behind his desk, the quiet was perfect. He liked it like this for it gave it the feeling of a sanctuary. A peaceful, tranquil sanctuary. But something always found a way to disrupt this. And this time it was the PADD in his hands.

He read it over, not believing his eyes. His face was a mirror image of fear and horror. He knew that what he was reading had always been a strong possibility and that it might have happened, but that didn't mean he wanted it to happen or expect it to.

"_Captain, General Hayes is on the comm. He wants to speak with you; he says it's important," _Ensign Talyn reported.

"Patch it through to my office." Picard turned to the screen, trying to take his mind off of the statistics he just read. Seconds later, the screen went from its normal black to an image of General Hayes, who looked just as flustered as Picard.

"I assume you've been… informed of the situation?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Have your senior staff briefed, but tell them no more than necessary, I think you know where to draw the line. Then set course for Miko, _Enterprise _has been assigned to rescue both the Ambassadors and try to help with the fighting."

"But, Admiral, doesn't interfering with their 'war' go against the Prime Directive?" Picard asked.

"Not in this cause, and I think you know why. You have your orders, I expect you to follow them," Hayes said, his voice final and firm.

"Yes, sir." The channel was broken and the picture faded into the Federation's insignia.


End file.
